This is how it feels to be a book reader, show watchers."Game of Thrones" fans are going to have go an entire calendar year before seeing the end of the series. HBO announced Thursday it's mega-hit fantasy series will return for its eighth and final season in 2019.The longer wait between seasons was rumored since the seventh season ended in the summer of 2017, but some fans were holding out hope that the saga's finale would come sometime this year.There was a longer wait between 2016's sixth season and 2017's seventh, as well, despite the latter having fewer episodes. Production on the series, however, takes longer than other shows, considering it is often closer to special effects-heavy feature films than serialized television.Readers of "A Song of Ice and Fire," the book series on which "Game of Thrones" is based, have dealt with long waits themselves, thanks to author George R.R. Martin's sluggish pace.

This is how it feels to be a book reader, show watchers.

"Game of Thrones" fans are going to have go an entire calendar year before seeing the end of the series. HBO announced Thursday it's mega-hit fantasy series will return for its eighth and final season in 2019.

The longer wait between seasons was rumored since the seventh season ended in the summer of 2017, but some fans were holding out hope that the saga's finale would come sometime this year.

There was a longer wait between 2016's sixth season and 2017's seventh, as well, despite the latter having fewer episodes. Production on the series, however, takes longer than other shows, considering it is often closer to special effects-heavy feature films than serialized television.

It's official: @GameOfThrones will return for its six-episode, eighth and final season in 2019.